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Text Luna curled quietly up with Scrivener Blooms on the bedding in the den, Sammy snoozing nearby on a pillow, the blue flames in his sockets low. In front of them was the book that Scrivener had borrowed from Twilight, all about the art of strategy and problem solving: he had spent a good few hours quietly reading to Luna, and she was calmer now than she had been most of the day, smiling a little as she rested against him, her black pearl glinting softly as she kissed gently against the side of the male's neck. Scrivener gazed at her with soft affection for a moment, and then he quietly closed the book before Luna opened her eyes, gazing at him warmly and saying quietly: "What, art thou tired of me or tired of the book, Scrivener Blooms? Steady thy mind and read more, I enjoy this." "I will, Luna, in a little while. Let me rest my poor throat." Scrivy replied with a bit of a smile, and then he shook his head slowly. "We only stopped long enough to raise the moon outside, and that was a few hours ago. Besides, I thought you were all worried and stuff." "Worries come and go, 'tis the natural order. My spirits are much better now, and I feel no need to dampen my cheeks with tears over problems that are sadly beyond my means of control." Luna grumbled a little, then she stretched slowly, arching her back and cracking it loudly as she added moodily: "Nightmare Moon begs for an audience, or to be set free. Yet I am concerned she will whisk off to destroy Sol Seraph before we know what is going on. 'Twould be a dangerous course of action if she is connected to Bucephalus… perhaps 'twas a stroke of genius on his part to hire such a monster. If I destroy her, he may try to claim I have renewed my attacks upon Celestia's sunny kingdom." "You're thinking too much, Luna." Scrivener leaned down and kissed her forehead gently, and Luna smiled at this before he asked curiously: "Do you want to go and see Nightmare Moon?" Luna hesitated, then she grumpily rolled onto her back and kicked at the air, starry mane sizzling a little around her as it floated upwards and she mumbled: "I suppose, but I dislike the way she often becomes when we go to speak with her these days. And sometimes I fear thou loves her more than thou loves me, sick creature." "Oh, how could I love her more when you're so adorable, Luna?" Scrivy reached out and tickled along the female's stomach playfully, and Luna laughed and flailed a bit at him before she grinned up at him as he looked amusedly down at her. "Besides, Nightmare Moon spends too much time looking at me like she very-literally wants to eat me. The fact she once bit me doesn't help much with this notion. Then again, you've bitten me too." "And 'twas delicious." Luna said empathetically, and then she reached up and seized his shoulders, pulling him firmly down into a kiss, their mouths working together for a few moments before they drew apart, noses touching as her gaze softened. "But never fear, Scrivener Blooms. Thou shalt always be safe, from her… from me. I would give anything to thee, to see thee happy… and I know thou art dedicated to me, in ways deep and profound, and it is an honor I do not deserve." She stopped, then shook her head slowly, saying quietly: "If thou art up for the task, though, let us take this break to see Nightmare Moon, discuss with her these events. She may offer a perspective on things that I have not yet considered… and I know that… that she is me in many ways, and I do owe her much. In some ways, I owe her for bringing me together with thee…" She reached up, stroking slowly over his face, softening, and then she smiled a little and sat quickly up, nuzzling him quietly as Scrivener smiled, then allowed himself to be pushed gently down onto his back, Luna's horn glowing a soft blue as she leaned over him and pressed their foreheads together, muzzles side-by-side as she whispered: "Now, close thy eyes, poet. Come down into the darkness with me." Scrivener Blooms did so, his eyes slipping closed… and a moment later, he and Luna were outside of reality, standing quietly in darkness and gazing silently towards a wide, circular platform of marble lit only by the full moon above, surrounded by pillars inscribed with ancient runes and images of even-more-ancient entities. And, sitting silently back between two statues of leathery-winged, fanged Pegasi, was Nightmare Moon herself. She was immense, her mane and tail flowing like the night sky, somehow even more intense than Luna's own starlit locks… and her coat was dead black, her eyes a brighter eldritch green and with reptilian slits for pupils. A tall, proud black horn stood from her skull, but the armory helm and peytral that had once covered her magnificent, enormous frame had been discarded: instead now, like Luna, she wore a beautiful black pearl on an ivy band… but unlike Luna, she had further decorated the ivy necklace with the blossoms of black roses. She smiled coyly as they approached, stepping up onto the moonlit platform as they both gazed up at her, and she looked lovingly back down at them… and automatically, Luna walked forwards, trading a quiet hug with her alter-self before Nightmare Moon kissed her forehead as if in dark blessing… and as Luna stepped away, Scrivener strode ahead, leaning up and trading a single, chaste kiss with the darkness-touched equine before he sat back as well. They both sat in front of her, respectful, quiet, as she studied them, then said in a scintillating, soft voice: "Finally, you come to me. I was getting worried you had both forgotten about little old me… Luna, you're not letting me out quite as often these days." "Thou wert beginning to get a little greedy, Nightmare Moon, wanting to be out at all times… 'tis my body, is it not?" Luna kept her tone soft, displaying a little more tact than usual, and Nightmare Moon laughed before nodding, looking at her with almost-maternal warmth. "Perhaps so. But all the same, dearest child… you know you require my aid. Yes, you have grown strong, stronger even than you were in the past… but it is only with my dark gifts that you can truly overcome the obstacles that lay ahead." Nightmare Moon paused meditatively, looking up and murmuring softly, as she gazed at the moon high above: "Every day, we grow stronger, fair Luna, and I think you and our beloved treasure both know I do not mean this as a threat. But as darkness influences the land, as corruption spreads… it fuels us. It makes us stronger. It makes us better. We are ever-growing… these shards of shadow that were left inside of us by the creature Ignominious sent our way after we rejected him… they greedily pull in every ounce of shadow around us. The more you bathe in it… the more you are exposed to it… the better we will become. "And as the Elements of Harmony flushed the poisons from our system, we are in control as well. It is nice to be lucid… it is even nicer that everything we have always wanted… is becoming ours. We can be patient for this, oh yes…" She stopped, then looked slowly down, her expression becoming colder. "But Sol Seraph threatens our Ponyville. Our kingdom. Our precious treasures… the impudent creature considers herself better than us. She knows nothing of our true past, believes not in Nightmare Moon… but we should teach her otherwise, Luna. We should destroy her… no, no. Better. We should break her, and make her bow before us, and then suffer deliciously for daring to treat our precious treasures the way she has…" Nightmare Moon smiled in a way that was both terrible and radiant, whispering softly: "Yes. Justice, my darlings… show her that she is not the superior predator she believes herself to be. Teach her why a mother should value her daughter." The creature paused, then threw its head back and laughed. "If only Fluttershy was made of sterner stuff! Then we could present her mother, broken and battered to her, as a delightful gift to show her all our appreciation for her! Would that not be the greatest of presents? Would it not prove our love, our loyalty, for these ponies we so adore as our precious treasures?" Luna grimaced a little, looking silently away… but Scrivener only gazed at her softly, feeling Luna's disgust… not at Nightmare Moon, but at herself, at the way she took enjoyment, pleasure in the idea. But then Nightmare Moon softened, leaning down and whispering quietly: "Why do you fear so much, my wonderful child? We are darkness. We are what they call evil. We are outside of their rules, and norms, and we only wish to take care of them… to embrace them in the sanctuary of our beautiful night…" Nightmare Moon stopped, then she strode slowly forwards, leaning down and kissing Luna's cheek before she gently wrapped her forelegs around her and pulled her close, Luna swallowing a bit even as she rested her head against the creature's broad chest, whispering: "But we must not push too hard, Nightmare Moon. We must not… become what we once were. And I do not wish to… to become… to hurt…" "Oh, child…" Nightmare Moon only smiled lovingly down at her, stroking tenderly through Luna's mane before she said softly: "Then put what I have spoken of out of your mind. Instead, as you have come here for my advice… I shall speak of the subject at hand. Scrivener Blooms, come, join us." Nightmare Moon beckoned to him… and the male blushed a bit as he nodded, walking forwards, pressing side-to-side with Luna as the creature embraced them both with a sigh of contentment, covering them with her body as her mane flowed down around them almost like a blanket, tingling, warm, and strange… like electricity, and yet it massaged and relaxed as it tingled against their backs and bodies, the female looking meditative as she murmured: "I am surprised that neither of you noticed this, but Sol Seraph does have a flaw. She is impatient… a hurried acquisition of property, blanketing the town in soldiers instead of the use of subtlety, and most importantly, the direct attack upon us, after so short a time in town. "We shall use this to our advantage, darlings." Nightmare Moon rested a hoof on the shoulder of both Luna and Scrivener Blooms, gazing down at them lovingly, affectionately, even as her eyes glittered with terrible, savage malice. "We shall wait for her move, and show patience. We shall mock her with our calm indifference… and then, when she makes the mistake of attacking us, giving us the opening we desire… we shall rip her intestines from her stomach and feed them to her for daring to call our treasured scribe a slave-hoof." Nightmare Moon laughed quietly, and the honesty and love in her voice made the statement all the more fearsome as Scrivener rested against her with a shudder despite himself, and Luna closed her eyes tightly… but smiled grimly all the same, murmuring: "Yes. Yes, thou art correct. She has moved fast, all too fast… and soon, she will be left with no moves in her hand but to try and attack us directly and arrogantly, and 'twill be her undoing. Her army seeks to control and oppress, not outright destroy… and for all her boasting as a predator, she will undoubtedly wish to press the challenge herself. We shall destroy her then." "Good, my darlings. Good." Nightmare Moon kissed Luna's forehead, then Scrivener's, keeping them both held close in her strangely-comforting, affectionate embrace, the dark, tall creature smiling softly before she whispered softly: "I have but one request now, for you both… do not forget about me, Luna, and do not forget that I have earned my freedom now and then. Acknowledge me, and love me, and let me free… and I will repay the favor tenfold times to you both, with pleasure, with power, and with love. I shall protect those you hold dear, and prove again and again, that Celestia is the failed heroine, whose light poisoned Equestria and made the shadows grow all the deeper… only Nightmare Moon can be the true savior in such dark and dire times as these." Scrivener Blooms shuddered a bit, and Luna clenched her eyes shut… but they both only pressed closer to the powerful, darkness-touched creature, and it smiled down at them, possessive, protective, comforting as the moon began to fade slowly out above their heads, before she murmured softly: "Go back now, children. I'll be watching over you both." And in a blink, everything went dark before both Luna and Scrivener opened their eyes, both sitting up now, heads still pressed together as they gazed into each other's eyes, breathing hard, electricity almost seeming to pass between them… and then Luna reached up and shoved Scrivener down onto the bedding, kissing him firmly… They lay together later, curled quietly close as Luna blushed a little, Scrivy smiling awkwardly despite himself before she kissed his forehead and murmured softly: "I apologize, my beloved. But I am glad that all the same, our consult with the creature went well… even if, as always tends to happen when our emotions rise so high and we mix so much together…" "Well, it's not a bad note to end on, right?" Scrivener smiled a little, and Luna shrugged agreeably before she leaned in and kissed down his neck, making him laugh and fidget a bit… and then he glanced towards the book still laying in front of the bedding, asking quietly: "Want me to read to you some more?" Luna nodded, looking at him affectionately, and as the male half-rolled towards it, she crawled up onto his back, making him snort in amusement as she flopped over him and kissed the back of his neck gingerly, saying quietly: "I appreciate it greatly, Scrivener Blooms. 'Tis… awkward to admit that I still have such troubles with reading. I can pull the words and meanings from thy mind but… 'tis uncomfortable, like staring too long at a bright flame." "It's alright, Luna. Besides, you do the same for me when delving through the ancient texts." He smiled a little, glancing over his shoulder at her. "Admittedly, I enjoy being useful to you, too. You can do pretty much everything else in the universe, after all… it's nice that there's this one thing I can do for you that you can't." "Oh, quiet, Scrivener Blooms, thou art useful in many ways. Thou… carries baggage, and prepares food, and sometimes does small, trivial tasks." Luna replied seriously, and Scrivy rolled his eyes in amusement as he flipped the book open to find the page, before he smiled a little as she began to slowly massage his shoulders, saying quietly: "Thou art a wretch, truly. Thy name should have been Misery, for 'tis what thee seems to enjoy heaping upon thyself." "And yet here we are, all the same, and for how much I like to complain and whine I still know all the same how lucky I am, bound at the very soul to someone I love and admire more than any poet's words could say." Scrivener replied softly as he paged through the book, and then he smiled when she leaned forwards and kissed his cheek quietly. "I love you, Luna." "And I love thee, Scrivener Blooms. More than I can say." Luna said softly, nestling herself quietly closer against the earth pony as she smiled a bit, blanketing his frame with her own taller body as she breathed slowly in and out, and their heats beat almost as one as they rested together in comfort as the male began to read. Luna enjoyed books like these: nonfiction works that detailed using strategy and logic, that described outside-the-box thinking in modern times. Things she could adapt to both everyday life as well as apply to enhance her already-impressive knowledge of combat tactics and the art of war. She had a great thirst for knowledge, especially in fields that in the past hadn't been nearly as widely-explored as they were in the present… pony psychology, for example, was another thing Luna loved to flop down and listen to, or would struggle her way through reading a little bit of now and then while Scrivener was working. Luna was a mix of physical and mental: or perhaps it was more physical and emotional, since she believed learning more about these subjects helped enhance her understanding, and greater understanding made for stronger instincts. She didn't often think too deep on things, but liked to feel her way through situations as they occurred, making her impulsive, rash, and all too willing to indulge her senses and desires in places where other ponies would hold back…but Scrivener loved that quality in her. The way she took structured fact and philosophy, swirled them around until she got what she could use out of the jargon and then applied it, built a bigger picture of the universe out of it. It was hard to describe, but then again, that was Luna: difficult to describe. And what surprised Scrivener was that she found him just as hard to describe… whenever they got into the conversation, Luna would eventually get frustrated, and they would just glare at each other, memories and images and thoughts shooting back and forth, until they broke down laughing and pressing together… and Scrivener smiled a little as two hours later, he came to a halt at the end of a chapter, Luna still lazing overtop him as he closed the book and looked over his shoulder at her, saying softly: "You want me to get back to work writing out those notes on Sleipnir?" "No, move not, Scrivener Blooms, thou art comfy and I am comfier." Luna said meditatively, nuzzling against the back of his neck as her mane swirled quietly backwards, and then she tilted her head to gaze into his eyes with a smile as he smiled softly back. "I feel our hearts beat in stride together, and 'tis wonderful. I feel our bodies press together, and we feel not like two separate entities… only as one. Truly, I feel blessed at moments like these… to think, once I may have almost ended up with Ignominious." She quieted, but as Scrivener only continued to gaze at her, she began to absently trace patterns on her back with a hoof, murmuring softly: "I do not know anymore if I loved him or not. Perhaps I was naïve, and silly. 'Twas more than a thousand years ago, more than twelve hundred now, in fact… for as thou and few others know, I have memories of fifteen hundred years ago… but my first memories even then are as an adult, of adventuring… of Celestia and Sleipnir as my older siblings, and Celestia was the same then as when I first returned from my purgatory in the moon. "Thou remembers the story, does thee not? And yet thou wishes for me to continue with my selfish prattling all the same, of an ex-lover who came back with the tides of darkness, of someone who tried to destroy us both utterly." Luna stopped, then she leaned forwards and batted his head quietly with a hoof, making the male wince a little. "Thou art a fool, Scrivener Blooms. A selfish, selfish, foolish fool, for what thee did. Never shall I permit thee to live it down, and forevermore shall I both coddle and pummel thee, wicked little creature." Scrivy only smiled embarrassedly in return, and then Luna nodded a little, looking down and saying softly: "Ignominious was a paladin, masterful at horn foiling, powerful in the ways of magic. And yet he was very, very naïve, and very, very weak all the same. A single blow, and his morale would crack, a single mistake, and he would lose all focus for a week. 'Twas like a wounded kitten oftentimes… not like thee, Scrivener Blooms, who art both so self-loathing and so insufferably stubborn in the same breath. Like a beetle. "All the same, I took him on as apprentice, and one night… as more." Luna smiled wryly, shaking her head slowly and murmuring: "A sad mistake. And perhaps worse, I feel responsible for what he has become… 'twas I that told him he needed to be stronger. 'Twas I that abandoned him after the coward fled from a battle with a Tyrant Wyrm, and my brother Sleipnir was wounded. 'Twas then that he began to seek the dark powers, and made his awful deal: to shed the blood of the innocent, to trade the souls of ponies, to taint and blacken his own, and all for power. All for what ended up being his death… "The creatures of Helheim do not play fair: they are not all evil, but they all have their particular desires, play particular roles, and they often twist deals and poison rewards to punish those foolish enough to seek their allegiance." Luna paused for a moment, then she looked ahead into the blue flames of the fireplace, pushing quietly down against Scrivener as she said softly: "The fool. They told him they would make him strong, like they were. They meant it in a fashion more literal than he could have imagined, and after he slaughtered entire families as sacrifice to the dark powers, when I tried to confront him for what he had done… the demons rose up from all around him, seized him, and dragged him down to Helheim." She stopped, shaking her head slowly. "They made him into a monster. They gave him power and life by corrupting the souls he offered, and fusing those souls into him. Why? Because to them it was a great joke, of course: he tortured, maimed, and slaughtered these souls… and now, they are bound inside his unliving, undying shell, restlessly screaming for freedom, clawing and ripping and gouging at the very-same soul they are forced to live with in ever-warring possession. The Ignominious I knew truly is gone… now he is just a living mass of corrupted ponies, fused into one awful, self-hating consciousness, blaming everyone apart from himself for what he has become, convinced he is powerful… when he is little more than smoke and mirrors. I am too cruel to hate him, Scrivener Blooms. I am too callous to despise him. Instead, I pity him, and I will continue to pity the poor fool until the day he is finally destroyed." Scrivy was quiet as he followed Luna's gaze into the flames… and then the female smiled faintly, leaning down against him and hugging him impulsively around the neck as she whispered: "'Tis why I am always so afraid I have corrupted thee, my beloved. 'Tis why I train thee so hard… and yet am afraid even as I do so. I do not wish to turn thee, my beloved daydreamer, into another warped being. I wish only to prepare thee for what lies ahead… even if, selfishly, I find myself wanting, wanting, wanting to make thee more and more like myself." "Luna…" Scrivy began, but then the female reached up and firmly covered his mouth with a hoof, making him wince a bit as she glared at him. "Oh shush thy prattling. I know well how thee feels and what thee says, but… it still worries me, makes me wonder if I have only corrupted thee all the worse already." Luna muttered, shaking her head slowly… and then she clambered up to her hooves and rolled him over onto his back, leaning down to touch nose-to-nose with him and saying quietly: "Remember, Scrivener Blooms. I love thee for thee. Not because thou art a reflection of myself… because thou art who thou art. Thou does not need to change thyself for me." Scrivy smiled a little up at her, and then he winced when she smacked him in the chest with a hoof and nodded firmly. "Excellent then. Come, though, up on thy hooves. Let us take a short canter through the Everfree Forest, then lower the moon from the sky." The male grumbled a bit, but nodded all the same as Luna stepped away before he carefully stood, then smiled when Sammy hopped up onto his back with a disgruntled chirp, the two watching as Luna strode towards the front door and the male equine saying mildly: "I know exactly what you mean, Sammy. But I guess it's true what they say: you can't help what you love." Top ↑ Category:Transcript Category:Story